Mark Webber's second place finish in Brazil brought to a close a 12-year Formula 1 career. Richard Bayliss takes a look back at the highs and lows for Australia's third Grand Prix winner.

Webber took his helmet off as he cruised back to the pits after the race.Source: Getty Images

MARK Webber bade farewell to Formula 1 with a typically gritty drive to second place in the Brazilian Grand Prix and without shedding a tear.

Well, maybe just one.

The 37-year-old Australian, who overcame a variety of obstacles on his 12-year journey from Queanbeyan to Interlagos - via Silverstone, Monaco and Milton Keynes - did his best to retain his dignity in an emotional paddock after claiming the 42nd podium finish of his career.

His boss, Red Bull team chief Christian Horner, said: "We spoke before the race and I said hopefully you'll be there on the last lap - and told him to enjoy it and take it all in. It was a great finish for him."

"Fantastic race, it's been brilliant working with you," shouted Horner on the team radio. "You can be proud of what you've done, we certainly are - very proud."

After 215 races, Webber departed with nine wins and a host of memories, but without the world title he may have merited and taken had he not been partnered at Red Bull by the exceptional four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.

"It is inevitable you are going to have adversity in your career and some decisions you should have made differently," admitted Webber.

"But you have to go with the flow and the decisions you make at the time."

A bit of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ to start the day.Source: Getty Images

Webber's final day started and ended with a flavour of Australia. He was welcomed into his garage with applause from his Red Bull team with the ballad "Waltzing Matilda" playing in the background.

The team also draped an Australian flag above his car, bearing the number two, with a pit board alongside reading "Thank you Mark". On the podium, the flag was lifted again.

"He has had a tremendous career and it has been great to see him achieve what he has," added Horner.

"The part he has played in us winning four constructors championship has been tremendous for him.

Red Bull mechanics push Webber to the grid for the final time.Source: Getty Images

"He is tough, determined, brave and a gentleman racer and one of the old school racers."

For Webber himself, the most difficult emotional moment came in his final drivers' briefing on Friday.

"The guys gave me a very good reception and I had a little chat with them, and that was nice," he said.

"Colleagues are the ones that you work so hard to compete against over 17 years and it means a lot to you so that was quite touching.

"It was so good to get a good reception off those guys. That was a bit of a wake-up call, I suppose."

He added: "I wouldn't want to be having my last weekend every weekend, in terms of the interest it gets, but it has been quite touching.

"A lot of the messages have been quite incredible from all around the world. That has been very, very special for me."

He then spent much of his race fighting good mate Alonso for second.Source: Getty Images

In the Red Bull team's official news release, he said: "I've been through a lot of emotional phases in my career.

"Maybe I did not have the most absolute natural flair and talent, but I knew that if I grafted and worked hard I'd get awesome results.

"But I also smashed a lot of guys who had more talent than me, because they didn't work as hard as me. I learned that about myself.

"How important it was to graft and just get my head down. I've been doing that for most of my career. There's no career that's on a rocket ship all the way through ...

He cruised back to the pits with his helmet off, waving to crowd and marshals.Source: Getty Images

"The results I've had in F1 have been great, but it's about the journey as well and I've had an amazing journey.

"I would have been very happy growing up and staying in Queanbeyan because I wouldn't have known any different, but when you start to delve into other areas of life, other places, then it really is a case of 'wow, this is a ride'.

"And it was a great ride. You sometimes get more out of that than the actual results."

Teammates for the last time, Vettel congratulates Webber in Parc Ferme.Source: Getty Images

Mark Webber looks back on his 12 seasons in Formula 1 after finishing second in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

WHAT WEBBER SAID POST-RACE

ON THE PODIUMMW: "Yeah, it was a very good finish to my career, a good fight with all the guys I've enjoyed fighting with for most of my career: Seb, Fernando, Lewis, Nico, all the guys who have been in the window for the last five or six years. I want to thank the team, I enjoyed the last few laps. It was a very nice way to finish. I want to thank everyone in Australia. I wouldn't be here where I am without the support in the early days. It's been a thoroughly enjoyable career. A great journey, one of which I'm proud of, and there's been so many people who have played a special role in my career. They know who they all are - thank you very much if you are watching and ... yeah ... enjoy watching Formula 1 next year with these guys, but off to Porsche and looking forward to it."

One last piece of silverware ... and the fastest lap of the race.Source: AP

AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Mark, a great end to your Formula 1 career. I hope you're happy with it as well. How did it go?

MW: "Yeah, I was happy with today. Tricky grand prix for all of us as you say, straight into dry conditions for a Sunday afternoon race. Maybe it's what Bernie should do! He should just have Sunday afternoons mate, just turn up for Sundays and just race from there because it was a pretty good start to the grand prix, I think, all of us getting into the groove with no dry running: challenging for the teams and the drivers. So we all got there in the end.

Webber cops a champagne bath from Vettel and Alonso on the podium...Source: AP

"Both Seb and I had tough starts, I was happy to lose only to Lewis actually. I had a good little scrap in the first lap: Fernando and Lewis were having a good battle and then we settled into it. It looked like the Mercedes were struggling to hold the tempo of Fernando, myself and Seb, so we had to clear the Mercs as best we could. And then it was coming up to Fernando, so, managed to pass Fernando as well. There was some really nice moves and some good racing and I think for the team to get a one-two today with obviously not their cleanest day in the pitlane - which we can let them off every now and again, because they've had a superb season in the pitlane - so we gave the red guys a sniff but we managed to respond each time.

... and took a brief tumble trying to retaliate!Source: AFP

"Very proud to have raced with these guys at the end. I mean I raced pretty much all four or five of them at some stage in the race today - apart from Seb, obviously who was a little bit down the road - but the pace ... it was a good battle for all of us. It's been a real pleasure for me to finish today's race like this. Yeah, and also to finish on the podium with arguable the two best guys of the generation we're in at the moment. I hold them in very high esteem.

"I'm happy with the finish and I'm happy to go and do something different now. It was a special day for myself, all the people that helped me get here. Australia. And the team, of course, had a nice car to finish. Renault as well, a 1-2 for them, last time with the V8s. Lots of things which are special, so thank you very much."

Webber shares one last laugh with Vettel in the post-race press conference.Source: Getty Images

Q: Mark, what is your schedule now, are you going to take some holiday, just like retire or are you working for Porsche as soon as possible?

MW: No, I'm going to have a few weeks out, for sure, doing nothing. I love putting the fire on at home, chopping some wood, putting the fire on and maybe a bit of red wine and chill out with some chocolate.

"Also my Tasmania Challenge is on which I can't get to this year, it's just too busy to get to my charity event, so I hope that goes well for everyone taking part. It starts on Wednesday but I just can't get to Tasmania from here, it's just been a relentless year and quite difficult so I'm looking forward to just having a bit of a break.

"For sure there is some Porsche stuff in the background. Obviously there is a chance I can do some stuff with them before the year is out, which Red Bull have been very good with and then it will be a steady loading into January as it will be for all of us.

His final trip to an F1 podium, celebrating one last Red Bull one-two with the team.Source: AFP

Q: Mark, tell us about taking your helmet off on that last ever lap and savouring it? Your eyes seem to be tearing a bit; maybe that was just the wind in your eyes.

MW: Yeah, it was the wind, I was tearing at that time. Look, it's not easy to get the HANS device system away from the helmet so I spent half a lap trying to get the left hand side off, so I finally got it there but the cars are bloody noisy with no helmet on, I know that much, so it was really noisy, all the vibrations and you can hear lots of things that you don't want to be hearing with the helmet on, that's for sure. It was good to get it off, obviously the marshals, the fans, to see ... in this sport, it's not always easy to show the person that's behind the wheel. We can in lots of other sports but in Formula 1 we've always got the helmet on so it was nice to drive back with the helmet off.

"Only time you're seen with the helmet off is on the podium if we have a good day which we did both, so nice to get it off. In the last sector, I got it a little bit jammed, so I think the marshals were a little bit worried that I couldn't turn left but in the end, no it was fine, it was a nice moment to come back, a little bit of a different touch to bring the car back."

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